The invention is directed to an improvement in a nipple particularly adapted for feeding liquid to fowl and/or small animals, and specifically is an improvement over the nipple disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 4,606,304 in the name of Frederick W. Steudler, Jr. granted on Aug. 19, 1986. The nipple of the latter-identified patent has proved exceedingly efficient in operation and has found wide acceptance in the poultry industry. However, two problems can occur over extended use of the nipple.
The first problem is that debris can collect in the concave recess of the head of the drinking pin or stem which can prevent the ball valve from seating upon its associated valve seat. This results in erratic ball lifting which, though a major problem, is not as severe as leakage that can occur between the ball and the valve seat as direct accumulates in the concave recess of the drinking pin head. If sufficient dirt/debris accumulates in the concave recess of the drinking pin head, the ball valve will not seat upon its valve seat and such leakage creates a continuous flow of water through associated cages into manure pits therebelow resulting in highly undesired wet manure.
A second problem is that for a predetermined size nipple the tolerances are such as to permit only a predetermined volume of water to be delivered upon full unseating of the ball valve from its valve seats. When the drinkers are associated with day old, week old, or relatively young birds, limited water flow is quite acceptable. However, as the fowl grows and becomes larger there is a proportional demand for more water which reaches a maximum demand with relatively large full-grown birds, particularly turkeys. Obviously, if large drinkers were used maximum water flow would be achieved for large birds, but day old, week old birds simply do not have the strength to lift or actuate larger drinking pins of such large drinkers. An alternative would be to use two different sets of drinkers, one set of drinkers being smaller, lighter and having tolerances providing adequate watering for smaller and younger birds, and other drinkers being larger, heavier and having tolerances for greater water flow for larger birds. The disadvantage in this system is that half the drinkers would be virtually unusable half the time.